Chai Tea : More Than A Beverage

Tea in india is not only a beverage but also a culture. We indians enjoy all types of tea – from masala to chamomile to green. The beverage lovingly called cha-yea is often sold on streets and railway stations. It is always available for everyone. Tea has always served as an ice breaking process for socializing. Even our songs has emphasised on this beautiful culture. We all can remember the song “mummy ne chai pe bulaya h” from movie “Sauten” sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. India is one of the largest producers as well as the consumers of tea.

Tea has been served in india even before we recognised what it was. In 1600s tea was takenwithout sugar, or mixed with a small quantity of conserved lemons, and that tea with some spices added was used against headache, gravel and gripe. The tea leaves for such use may have come from China.

In early 1800s, the British East india company discovered and experimented with the tea seeds from China. They tried to cultivate the Chinese tea seeds in indian terrain, but the experiment failed. In 1837, the first English tea garden was established at Chabua in Upper Assam, resulting in large-scale production of tea.

Having established a successful industry in Assam's Brahmaputra valley, the entire range of foothills of the Himalayas and other parts of India was explored. By 1863, 78 plantations were established in Kumaon, Dehra Dun, Garhwal, Kangra Valley and Kulu.

India has been the top producer of tea for nearly a century, but due to availability of land, China has overtaken the major production. Indian tea companies have acquired a number of iconic foreign tea enterprises including British brands Tetley and Typhoo.

Tea culture has flourished and now has found its spot in elegant cafes. Main beauty of tea is that every person can customize it according to their tastes. This ability of tea to adjust according to individual tastes and fit with snacks has made it famous for many decades and is flourishing even now. tea is not limited to domestic settings only but have become a tool for social interactions, relaxing and bonding new or even rebonding old relations.

This year the India tea trade day is going to be held on April 4, 2019 at hotel, Taj Bengal, Kolkata.